Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The field of invention is printing systems, more particularly to a printing system for printing on, and encoding, a radio frequency identification (RFID) label.
RFID devices are known in the art, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,263, which is fully incorporated herein by reference. These devices are, for example, used in systems for access control, animal feeding and health programs, inventory control, process control, and security applications.
A typical RFID system has a passive transponder having circuitry therein and a RFID reader/writer. A RFID reader/writer energizes the transponder circuitry by transmitting a power signal. The power signal may convey data which can be stored in a transponder memory or the transponder circuitry may transmit a response signal containing data previously stored in its memory. If the transponder circuitry transmits a response signal, the RFID reader/writer receives the response signal and interprets the data contained therein. The data is then transmitted to a host computer for processing.
As the cost and size of transponders decrease, their use is becoming more widespread. One known use for the transponders is to incorporate the transponder into printable media to produce a label. These labels can be printed with indicia which is machine readable, such as a bar code label, or human readable, such as words. The bar code or other indicia is printed on the label using conventional methods known in the art, such as a thermal transfer printer.
One known printer includes an internal RFID encoder which programs a label, and then prints on it. Printing on the label after encoding can damage the RFID circuitry rendering the RFID capability of the label inoperative. Damage to the RFID capability caused by the printer cannot be easily determined by a user. Furthermore, the user cannot determine whether the encoding was successful.
Another known printer having an internal RFID encoder programs the labels after the printing operation. However, as in the above printer, once the label is expelled from the printer, a user cannot tell whether the programming step was successful.
Providing a printer having an internal RFID encoder limits the flexibility of RFID label production. Printers without an encoding capability are useless when an RFID capable label is desired. Furthermore, currently available printers having internal encoders are expensive, and limit the size of the labels which can be printed and encoded. As a result, certain label sizes which can be printed using a non-RFID capable printer cannot be easily encoded to provide the desired RFID capability.
The present invention provides a RFID label printing system which includes a printer for printing on a label having RFID circuitry. The printer includes a label exit for expelling a printed label, and an external programming module disposed adjacent the label exit for encoding the label expelled from the label exit. The external programming module can include a label marking mechanism which selectively marks a label to indicate a defective label to a user. A host computer communicatively connected to the printer and the external programming module coordinates the operation of the printer and the external programming module.
A general objective of the present invention is to provide a RFID label printing system which can incorporate a conventional printer. This objective is accomplished by providing an external programming module which can encode a RFID label after being expelled from the printer.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for indicating to a user whether a RFID label is defective. This objective is accomplished by providing a label marking mechanism which can mark a label which is determined by the printing system to be defective.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a printing system which detects a defective label, and then notifies the user. This objective is accomplished by providing a printing system which attempts to read the encoded label, and if the read is unsuccessful, notifies the user.